Palmieri v. Heirs of Passalacqua
Palmieri v. Heirs of Passalacqua
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
The origin of the community of property sought to be divided by means of the present action dates back to July 19, 1882, the date of the death of Luis Passalacqua Costa. Until April 17, 1915 the administration of the common estate was in charge of Antonio Passalacqua Costa, who on that date rendered accounts of his actions, according to which the net capital of the brothers, surnamed Passalacqua Palmieri, Juan —-appellee herein—Luis and Antonio, now their heirs—appellants herein—amounted to $48,379.77.
As a result of the death of Julia Palmieri, mother of the Passalacqua Palmieri brothers, and of the partition operations of the hereditary estate left upon her death as it appears from deed No. 21 of April 17, 1915, executed before Notary Manuel Tous Soto, the community existing among the brothers was enhanced by the adjudication to them of
It appears, therefore, that since April 17, 1915 and until the date the action was brought the following property of the common capital was disposed of: 15 rural properties, six
Until 1930 Antonio Passalacqua Costa, aided in these tasks by appellee Juan, was in charge of the administration of the common property. It was alleged that the accounts corresponding to this period from 1915 to 1930 were not available because the books showing the entries had been destroyed by the heirs of the administrator after the latter’s death “as useless.” From and after 1930 plaintiff-appellee performed some administration tasks.
In March 1959 Juan Passalacqua Palmieri filed in the Superior Court, San Juan Part, a complaint which he entitled “civil action” against his brother Luis and the heirs of his
In Márchese v. Márchese, 81 P.R.R. 708, 715 (1960), we said that although both actions of division of the community known as communi dividundo and those of division of the estate, known as familia erciscundae, are essentially the same insofar as their object is to terminate a common ownership, both are governed by different rules. Ferrandis Vilella, La Comunidad Hereditaria 162 et seq. (Bosch ed., 1954) ; Gayoso Arias, Naturaleza y Desarrollo Procesal de la Acción “Communi Dividundo,” Revista de De-recho Privado 209 (1920). As to the former, the lawmaker has made provision in §§ 334 to 340 of the Civil Code, 1930 ed., 31 L.P.R.A. §§ 1279 to 1285 ;
Such being the presumption, all the co-owners should participate, Central Pasto Viejo v. Roig, 33 P.R.R. 436 (1924), in order that the adjudication ordering the division may not be ineffective, Suc. of Collazo et al. v. Borrás et al., 26 P.R.R. 424 (1918) ; Fernández v. Gutiérrez del Arroyo, 10 P.R.R. 59 (1906). As we have seen, what the parties own in common in the two pieces of urban property is only an interest of three fifths, the remaining portion belonging to other persons who did not appear as parties. The need for joining them in the action and giving them an opportunity to be heard becomes even greater in the instant case in which apparently the properties involved are essentially indivisible,
2. The consequence of the trial court’s action in adopting the accountant’s report which was offered and admitted as plaintiff’s exhibit 45 is to hold that the co-owners’ interest in the Dolores farm and in the joint ownership of the two pieces of urban property was altered as a result of the liquidation made by the administrator on April 17, 1915. After establishing that the outstanding capital on that date amounted to $48,379.77, including as element of the asset the withdrawals made by the heirs and without any other basis than a mere mathematical operation, it is concluded that the shares in the common estate have been fixed as follows:
Share in Heir Share Withdrawals Balance Balance
Luis Passalacqua $16,126.59 13,691.91 2,434.68 11%
Antonio Passalacqua 16,126. 59 4,431.26 11,695.33 51%
Juan Passalacqua 16,126.59 7,458.77 8,667.82 38%
This is the basis claimed to be adequate for the liquidation of accounts among the co-owners and for the division of the community. And it is precisely the party mostly favored by this improvised formula—Antonio’s heirs to whom a share of more than one half is assigned—who challenges the result obtained.
It is sought to justify this determination by the fact that the three co-owners signed at the bottom of the ledger entry
We agree that there is no evidence of any kind to support this finding of the trial court and that, as respects these estates which originally formed part of the paternal in
3. The other error assigned is the aspect of the liquidation of the accounts among the co-owners. According to the judgment copied in footnote 6, the trial court, adopting once again the report which constitutes plaintiff’s exhibit 45, concluded that appellee Juan was a creditor of his brother Antonio in the sum of $58,625.21 and of Luis in the sum of $36,007.84. We have already seen in the discussion of the previous error that the report fails to show adequately the distribution to be made of the income accruing from the estates which were originally part of the paternal estate. The seed of the incorrectness of the rendition of accounts appears in the very core of the report in which it is asserted that:
“. . . owing to the fact that the accounting books showing all the individual transactions made by the brothers Luis, Antonio and Juan Passalacqua Palmieri in connection with the property of the paternal and maternal community corresponding to the years 1915 to 1930 were burned, it is impossible to determine the nature of such transactions, with the exception of those carried out through Juan Passalacqua Palmieri, one of the co-owners, who helped his uncle Antonio Passalacqua Costa in the administration of the property of the community. Furthermore, owing to the fact that the accounting books were burned, it is impossible to determine the transactions made in those years by administrator Antonio Passalacqua Costa in connection with the property of the paternal and maternal community.”
However, despite such conclusive admission, further steps are taken and a statement of receipts and expenditures is fabricated worthy of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdova. For that purpose, and in the absence of books, only those transactions which remained alive in plaintiff’s recollections are taken into account, without further verification than his mere affirmation and which by happy coincidence for himself are translated into charges for defendants. It is significant
“What share or out of what share did your two brothers enj oy ?
Luis and Antonio Passalacqua Palmieri?
Yes.
Every time they needed money, they asked me for it.
And you gave it to them.
And I sent it to them.
You gave it to them in cash, by check or in securities?
Almost all by checks.”
We say queer because this is the only version which permits the presentation in evidence of a great number of checks issued by plaintiff in favor of defendants with the passing of all these years, without stating on what account.
The amount accruing from the disposition of the rural property and other property which formed part of the common capital nor the income accruing either from rents or from the administration of these farms until the same ceased to be part of the common patrimony were not accounted for to satisfaction, despite the fact that it is unquestionable that the burden of proof rested on the moving party. Only the transactions Juan remembers, “those made through Don Juan,” were taken into account, and when on cross-examination he is pressed upon these other data of which he must have some knowledge or information, he takes refuge in the convenient joker of the destruction of the books, cf. Colón v. Secretary of the Treasury, 85 P.R.R. 681 (1962), and of his failing memory. With evidence of this nature the frame
However, if the lack of information referred to in the preceding paragraphs were not sufficient, the report also contains other obvious errors such as failure to consider among the elements of the assets certain income established by plaintiff’s evidence. Where are the moneys received from the sale of Meléndez and Perchas farms shown? And the $3,500 obtained in the execution of the judgment rendered against Baltazar Mendoza, lessee of the Jácana farm? And the mortgage loan contracted with Manuel González to be advanced to Luis in order to pay Franceschi y Cía. and, of course, is charged to defendant’s account? This is sufficient not to give any probative value to that report as respects the liquidation of accounts for the period comprised between 1915 and 1930.
However, there is sufficient information in the evidence to enable us to reconstruct the accounts as of 1930. In this connection, it is well to note that the evidence does not contain the defect of uncertainty which we have attributed to the evidence on the accounts for the period between 1915 and 1930, and to which the trial court nonetheless gave credit.
(A) The common property yielded, or should have yielded, the following amounts:
1. Chargeable to Antonio Passa-lacqua Palmieri $12, 764. 75
a) Lease of Dolores farm from January 1, 1930 to May 31, 1952 $6, 725. 00
b) Lease of Guerrero farm from January 1, 1930 to May 31, 1952 3, 362. 50
c) Fruits produced by Emaja-gua farm during the years 1946-47 to 1949-50 (Plaintiff’s Exh. 8) 2,677.25 $12, 764. 75
2. Chargeable to Juan Passalacqua Palmieri $16, 078. 16
a) Lease of Jácana farm from October 24, 1932 to December 31, 1946 $23, 475. 00
b) Lease of Emajagua farm from January 1, 1930 to December 31, 1945 5, 400. 00
c) Lease of a three-fifths interest in two pieces of real property situated on José I. Quinton Street12 7, 313. 80
d) Undistributed difference of the selling price of Jácana farm 153. 71
Less:
a) Interest paid as of January 1930:
Antonio Quilinchini $4, 666. 66
*572 Marcos Veechini 6, 346. 66
Edward Junghans 3, 522. 22 $14, 535. 54
b) Taxes paid corresponding to taxable years as of 1930:
Jácana farm $2, 332. 52
Emajagua farm 591. 38
Atajo farm 1, 106.15
Urban property (60 per cent of $1,400. 21) 840. 12 $4,870. 17
c) Repairs, urban property (60 per cent of $1,431.08) 858.64 $16,078.16
(B) From January 1, 1930 to May 31, 1952 Juan Passa-lacqua Palmieri made advances to his brothers:
a) To Luis Passalacqua Palmieri,
as per exhibit 43 $5, 882. 17
as per exhibit 33 500. 00
as per exhibit 40 1, 500. 00
as per exhibit 35 500. 00 $8, 382. 17
b) To Antonio Passalacqua mieri, Pal-
as per exhibit 13 $1, 281. 2513
as per exhibit 14 72. 96
as per exhibit 15 134. 75
as per exhibit 25 637. 40
as per exhibit 42 654. 44 $2, 780. 80
Before considering the final liquidation, we say that we have not overlooked the defense of prescription interposed by appellants, the children of Antonio Passalacqua Pal-mieri, in connection with the collection of the lease rental from Dolores and Guerrero farms. It is true that § 1866 of the Civil Code, 1930 ed., 31 L.P.R.A. § 5296, provides that
The result of the operations set out above shows that a net sum of $28,842.91 corresponds to the co-owners, or $9,614.30 to each. Juan, plaintiff herein, after paying the legitimate administrative expenses such as taxes, interest and repairs, received a net amount of $16,078.16 out of which he made advances of $8,382.17 to Luis and of $2,780.80 to Antonio. He therefore retained $4,915.19 only, so that there is a balance of $4,699.11 standing to his credit.
However, for the purposes of doing full justice to the parties and in view of the conclusion reached herein-above upholding the existence of equal shares among the co-owners in the property existing in 1915, it is fair and reasonable to take into account in the final liquidation the sums which uncle Antonio had advanced to them, with the express consent of the co-owners, until April 17 of that year in which the liquidation was made. Since the total advances at that time amounted to $25,581.94, the synoptic picture of the final liquidation which is attached to this opinion as exhibit A shows that the sum of $5,767.65 is owing to defendant-appellee and must be paid to him as follows: $3,932.45 by his brother
The judgment rendered by the Superior Court, San Juan Part, on June 29, 1960 will be modified in accordance with the terms of this opinion, and as thus modified it will be affirmed with a pronouncement eliminating the sum awarded for attorney’s fees.
Exhibit A
Liquidation of Passalacqua Community
Share sponding 19151 Share sponding 1930-1952 Total Share Received 1915 Received 1930-52 Total Received
$8,527.31 $9,614.30 $18,141.61 $7,458.77 $4,915.19 $12,373.96 'Credit) $5, 767.65
Antonio. 8,527.31 9,614.30 18,141.61 4, 481.20 15, 515.552 19, 970.M (Debit) $1,835.20
8,527.32 9,614.31 18,141.63 13,691.91 8, 382.173 22,074.08 (Debit) $3,932.45
The book value of this capital was determined as follows:
Rural Properties:
Soto farm $1, 300. 00
Manuel Colón farm 500. 00
Dolores farm 2, 000. 00
Jácana farm 14, 575. 88 $18, 375. 88
Structures:
% parts of zinc-roofed house $3, 300. 00
% parts of concrete warehouse 2,100. 00 $5, 400. 00
*559 Accounts Receivable:
Antonio Passalacqua Costa $4,168. 06
Maria Torres 391.14
Donato Rivera 97. 00
Tomás Lara 5. 75 $4, 661. 95
Miscellaneous:
1 tomb $360. 00
Shares Central Vanina 1, 000. 00 $1, 360. 00
Withdrawals by the Heirs:
Luis Passalacqua Palmieri $13, 691. 91
Antonio Passalacqua Palmieri 4, 431. 26
Juan Passalacqua Palmieri 7, 458. 77 $25, 581. 94
$55, 379. 77
Less:
Mortgage loan on Jácana farm in favor of Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño $ 7,000.00
Total: $48, 379. 77
These advances were shown in the annual statements as accounts receivable and the corresponding adjustments were never made in the capital account.
A statement of property adjudicated and the simulated valuation for division purposes is as follows:
Rural Properties
Identification in Deed of Division Farm Value
No. 10 Juan Maria (Melendez) farm $3, 000. 00
Emajagua farm No. 11 2, 000. 00
No. 12 Vicente Ortiz farm 1, 000. 00
No. 13 Alfaro farm 2, 000. 00
Nos. 14)
15) Guerrero farm 600. 00
16)
No. 17 Perchas farm 3, 400. 00
No. 18 Nicolás Colón farm 100. 00
Nos. 19--25 Monchito farm 2, 000. 00
No. 26 Vázquez farm 2, 000. 00
No. 33 Suárez farm 533. 60
Nos. 35-36 Ortiz Robles farm 921. 23
No. 37 Elias farm 384. 24
No. 31 Atajo farm (interest of one half in naked ownership) 1,228. 63
No. 27 Madrid farm 2, 000. 00 $21,167. 70
Structures
1 one-story small house $150. 00
1 carriage house 75. 00
1 stable 25. 00
1 outbuilding 1 house Pedro Garcia 50. 00 200. 00
Share in house of maternal inheritance 521. 60 1, 021. 60
Miscellaneous
Shares of Central Vanina $1, 500. 00
Shares of Luz Eléctrica Ponce .50
Accounts receivable 2, 782. 50
Other property 527. 70 4, 810. 70
Maternal Inheritance as of April 17, 1915: $27, 000. 00
From plaintiff’s exhibit 25, which is a certified copy of deed No. 192 executed before Notary Fernando Zapater Martinez on July 19, 1940, it appears that the interest adjudicated in the liquidation of the maternal
In the testimony given by plaintiff Juan Passalacqua Palmieri reference is made to the sale of the Vázquez farm to Dario Santiago. This transaction was carried out by administrator Antonio Passalacqua Costa for the price of $2,500. He received as part of the price a house in the town of Coamo valued at $1,500, which was afterwards acquired by Antonio Passalacqua Palmieri. Deponent stated that he has not received his $500-share in this piece of real property (Tr. Ev. Ill, pp. 28-29).
It appears further that on March 30, 1924 and April 9, 1926 shares of Central Vanina were sold for $1,366.66 and $720, or a total of $2,086.66 (Plaintiff’s Exh. 43).
The judgment rendered reads as follows:
“For the reasons stated in the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law made on this date, which have been attached to the record and are made a part hereof, the court renders judgment sustaining the complaint and holding that the interest of co-owner Antonio Passalac-qua Palmieri, now his heirs, in the community of property amounts to $38,415.84 and that he owes to co-owner Juan Passalacqua Palmieri the sum of $58,625.21; that the interest of co-owner Luis Passalacqua Palmieri in the community of property is $10,880.34 and that he owes to Juan Passalacqua Palmieri the sum of $36,007.84; and that the interest of co-owner Juan Passalacqua Palmieri in the community of property is $29,466.81.
“Defendants are hereby ordered to proceed to divide immediately the farms or real property which form part of the community of property in the proportion adjudicated hereinabove. Antonio Passalacqua,*563 now his heirs, is further ordered to pay to plaintiff Juan Passalacqua Palmieri the sum of $58,625.21, and Luis Passalacqua Palmieri to pay to plaintiff Juan Passalacqua Palmieri the sum of $36,007.84.
“The countercomplaint is dismissed in its entirety.
“The costs and litigation expenses are imposed on defendants, in equal parts, and they are further ordered to pay the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000), in equal parts, for attorney’s fees.”
For a complete analysis of these legal provisions and their interdependence with the provisions on division of inheritance, we recommend a reading of the article entitled El Proceso de Disolución de la Comunidad which appeared in Revista de Derecho Procesal 395-437 (1960), the author of which is the Spanish magistrate José María Reyes Monterreal. See, also, Maynar Barnolas, Proceso de División de la Cosa Común, 196 Re-vista General de Legislación, y Jurisprudencia 312 (1954).
See, in general, Jerónimo González, La Comunidad Hereditaria, 7 Revista Crítica de Derecho Inmobiliario 174 (1931) ; V Borrell y Soler, Derecho Civil Español 448 et seq. (1954) ; 6-1 CastáN Tobeñas, Derecho Civil Español, Común y Foral 251 et seq. (7th ed. 1960) ; VII Manresa, Comentarios al Código Civil Español 686 et seq. (7th ed. 1955).
See López v. Succession of Candelario, 27 P.R.R. 681 (1919), on the need to allege lack of agreement between the interested parties in order to adjudicate the thing held in common to one of the co-owners.
It is possible that the trial court, anticipating that the effect of its judgment was the adjudication of all the property to the moving party, did not stop to examine this question closely. Anyway, the scope of its pronouncements could not go beyond ordering the division sought and recognizing the credits which in its opinion corresponded to plaintiff, unless an anticipated execution of this aspect of the liquidation of accounts among the co-owners was intended within the same action.
The suppression of the notarial document mentioned in the entry made at folio 238 of the Ledger has called our attention. It reads as follows: “Capital of the three as of the Outgoing Balance Sheet. Amount and balance of this Capital account which, according to the Statement or Inventory of this date, was delivered to the interested parties named herein-below, for the purposes of the notarial document of this day executed before Manuel Tous Soto of Ponce (‘I believe No. 20’ is interpolated) closes this accounting made by me.”
In order to arrive at this sum, there were taken into consideration the rents received or to be received as of January 1, 1930, totalling $12,189.67, distributed as follows: Francisco Anselmi, $2,025; Luis Colón, $592; Dr. Dominguez, $372.50; Selective Service, $165.33; Higrade H. Casting Co., $270; Manuel Cruz, $1,912.50; O.P.A., $616; Paquillo Caratini, $138; Juan Passalacqua, $5,778.34; Popular Party, $180; and Luis It. Palmer, $140.
Of this sum $4,875.87 correspond to the co-owners of the remaining two-fifths.
We have eliminated from this exhibit, which is a statement of accounts, the item of $8,500, the selling price of Burgos farm, received by Antonio Passalacqua, in the understanding that the preponderance of the evidence establishes that this particular farm belonged to him. That is why we have charged to him the sum of $654.44, advanced by Juan to pay certain expenses connected with the farm.
From this sum of $1,835.20 there should be deducted $277.76 which Antonio delivered to Juan in the liquidation of the coffee from Emajagua farm in the years 1946-1950, as it appears from plaintiff’s Exh. 8.
The total advances up to that date, $25,581.94, divided among the three co-ownerA
Retained as per paragraph A-l, $12,761.75, plus the amount advanced by Juan, $2, 7S0 so.
Amount advanced to him by Juan.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.